His hands are clenching into fists, and if I didn’t know better, he’s about to lash out with unkind words, which will probably have me running back to my hotel with a bruised ego.
With his stare boring into me, refusing to break, he opens his mouth slowly, “Nothing, Emile. I want absolutely nothing from you.”
Chapter Six
Dominic
The waves roll in, long and white-fringed against the shoreline.
My eyes are steady on the horizon while deep in thought. Attending brunch was a last-minute decision on my part. Allegra had left for the city last night, and it had been my intention to leave first thing this morning.
But I stayed.
Against my better judgment.
And why, I have no fucking idea.
I was worried about Emile and what happened, but our conversation this morning led me to believe she had recovered well. I could blame the messages, the thrill of the chase, or knowing Emile was affected by my presence at the wedding, enough to kiss her boss’ ex-lover despite her insisting she was drunk.
Emile had been drinking, I could see that, but she was far from being intoxicated with no sense of judgment.
But then it all took a different turn. I challenged her when she assumed I was charming her. I ’don’t charm women. It isn’t in my DNA. I create business opportunities. Just like with Kate, although that turned out the exact opposite.
Kate and how I am so easily preoccupied with my thoughts during the night and all of today. The mere thought of her has become distant. I’m consumed by needing answers as to why I’ve allowed myself to be someone who I am not around Emile.
I don’t flirt, nor charm, and I don’t kiss random girls.
Ignore the fucking kiss for a moment. That last message before Emile blocked me, stirred something inside of me. My mind envisioned her lying on the bed, playing with herself, all her innocence being captured in this one beautiful sight of her body convulsing with pleasure.
I struggle with the very thought, refusing to entertain my cock, which seeks attention. If I fall victim to my desires, there’d be no escaping.
“I can assure you I’m not stalking you,” the voice says through the wind. “May I sit down?”
I don’t say a word, releasing a breath and warning myself to resist the temptation.
“You were right earlier today. I wouldn’t have been able to stop him. I could feel his strength, and to be honest, I felt helpless. Insignificant.”
“It’s warranted in that situation,” I tell her while avoiding her gaze.
“Perhaps,” she continues, kicking her shoes in the sand. “I can’t speak for others, I just know I never want to be in that position ever again. Whatever I did to make him think he could have his way with me… I don’t know, maybe my mother is right.”
“Your mother?”
“Strict Catholic, no sex before marriage, dress modestly.”
“Are you saying… you’ve never had sex?”
She laughs. “No. Despite my previous long-term relationship, we did well to convince our parents we were angels.”
“Right…” I trail off, hiding my anger. The thought of her with another man onsets a whole range of emotions I beg to fuck off.
“Last night, though… I’m embarrassed it happened. Eric and Kate asked me, but I couldn’t tell them. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be unloading this on you.”
“Don’t apologize. We both would rather forget it happened.”
Silence falls between us while we watch the ocean in all its ferocity. The smell of the air indicates rain, something I’ve always enjoyed in the summer.
“Was that your wife with you on the dance floor last night?” Emile questions, catching me by surprise since I expected the topic of our kiss to come up. “I’m well aware of your situation.”
“I’m sure you know more about me than I of you,” I confess, rather bitterly. “My wife, as you refer to her, is already in the city, possibly in the bed of a man she’s been intimate with.”
“I’m… I’m sorry.”
“Sorry? Whatever for?”
“I don’t know. Are you jealous? Angry? She’s your wife.”
“None of the above,” I quietly admit. “She can go live her life.”
“And what about you? Your life?” It was almost a demand, a tone which caught me by surprise. “Vous méritez d’être heureux.”
I deserve to be happy. How odd to hear that from someone I barely know.
What is happiness? I thrive on business, and I’m not a family man nor eager to have children. The more I think about it, the more it becomes apparent—I’ve been long miserable, and happiness is something I don’t know how to experience.
“I’m sorry.” She shakes her head in confusion. “My French. Sometimes I forget, and it just comes out.”
“La langue française est belle.”
It was a beautiful language that, when spoken, can communicate words between two people in an entirely different way. It was unlike my communication with Allegra—the toxicity in our relationship has become too much to bear these days.
“You look like you’re busy… thinking. I should leave you alone,” she mutters, oddly.
I tilt my head abruptly, unaware I’d catch this beautiful woman staring back at me. “Why did you come here, Emile?”
“I told you…”
“I’m not a man you need to be with if that’s what you think. You’re beautiful. I can’t deny that, but surely you know I’m beyond capable of anything than what I am.”
With anger, she folds her arms beneath her chest. “Kate was right. A cold heart. Do you wonder why she chose Noah? Because he loved her the way she deserved to be loved. He nurtured her yet not projected his insecurities onto her.”
My words become trapped. Never have I experienced such honesty from a person who barely knows me. “I’m sorry I came here. You can be guaranteed that you’ll never see me again.”
She begins to walk away at the same time a roar of thunder bolts through the sky. The waves move faster, growing larger as the wind howls.
My chest heaves, the
